Letters To The Editor

April 09, 2003

Freedom

Can't Wait

I thank The Courant for printing the recipe for ending tyranny in Iraq while ``maintaining our international power and prestige'' [letters, April 4, ``War Turning Into Quagmire'']. Diego M. Benardete's cookbook for peace, which relies on the United Nations, is half-baked and exposes the profound hardheartedness of those willing to contain the present Iraqi regime.

The ingredients for peace rolled out are ``immediate cease-fire'' that would, as in Somalia, signal weakness to the legion of lunatics hellbent on destroying America and Americans, and the ``acceptance of a strengthened version of the French proposals.'' This ingredient not only leaves the current structure of terror in place, but would also leave the future of Iraq in the hands of the United Nations, the organization that for 12 years has demonstrated the lack of will, vision or urgency to quell the horrific acts of the quintessential master of deceit, disguise and torment.

Mr. Benardete's questionable recipe promises that tyranny would ``end in the not too distant future.'' Is he willing to wait one year, two years, maybe even 12 more years while innocent Iraqis are intimidated, raped, tortured and executed by this regime's ruthless thugs? Even one day is one day too long.

Alison J. Nichols

Essex

U.S. Welcomes

`Child Soldiers'

I was surprised to learn that ``child soldiers'' are those younger than 18 [Other Opinion, April 3, ``The Ethical Dilemma Of Iraq's Child Soldiers'']. Someone should tell Gal Luft, co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, that the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps take volunteers at 17.

I dodged the draft (by joining the Navy at 17) and, because President Truman delayed VJ Day from Aug. 14 to Sept. 2, I became a World War II veteran as well.

Arthur W. Stier

Glastonbury

Government

Double Talk

I read with interest ``Iraq's Future: New U.S. Plan Undercuts Hawks' Mandate'' [Page 1, April 5], about how the Bush administration hawks' candidate for Iraqi reconstruction, Ahmed Chalabi, had been sidelined by State Department concerns. Presumably the State Department's desire is to re-establish better world community relations.

The following day, I noted with interest that Chalabi, someone who has not been in Iraq for years, suddenly appeared on Iraqi turf [Page 1, ``U.S. Airlifts Rebels, Leader Into Iraq'']. This could not have been accomplished without at least the implicit approval of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and by doing an end run around the State Department.

It looks like we are building a case for world mistrust of America's stated purposes. First, the pretext for invading this country was to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction. Surely if Saddam Hussein had those weapons at his disposal, he would have used them by now.

Now it appears that our government is doing exactly what it said we would not do -- taking steps to install an Iraqi government home-brewed in Washington.

In more ways than one, our government speaks with a forked tongue.

J. Gregory Wiker

Stamford

More Work,

Less Life

I would like to thank Dan Haar for his column ``Bush Chips Away At Overtime Pay'' [Business, April 4].

As an information technologies worker, I'm disheartened by the proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act. Rather than protecting workers from abuse, the law would soon protect abusive employers from legal challenges by abused workers.

Instead of encouraging employers to limit the workweek for most employees to a manageable 40 hours, the Department of Labor is paving the way for the euphemistically named ``21st Century Workforce.'' Many in IT already belong to this new workforce with its pagers, cellphones, remote computer access and all the other high-tech marvels that exchange increased productivity for decreased life.

Illuminating the moral fiber behind this vision of a new workforce are U.S. corporate leaders who, after bemoaning a shortage of skilled domestic workers in order to get more H-1B visas, are now using those visas to displace skilled domestic workers. Are we now supposed to trust them to not extend our workweek, free of charge, beyond 40 hours?

Narain C. Scott

Stafford

Too Monstrous

To Be Juveniles

``Video Records Lethal Attack'' [Page 1, April 7] was such a sad and painful story. I'm sorry for the grief and pain felt by Ricky Whistnant's family over the loss of their loved one. The article called Mr. Whistnant's alleged killers ``juveniles'' or ``teenagers.'' They should be called ``monsters'' for inflicting such pain and cruelty on another human being and for allegedly preying on the young, old, weak and handicapped -- those who are unable to defend themselves.

These monsters should be given guns and dropped off in a remote part of the Iraqi desert to look for Saddam Hussein and his guards. There, they could feel free to attack the regime or fight among themselves. We could do very well without them.